1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a liquid crystal display apparatus with substantially improved display quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal displays (“LCDs”) are a widely used type of flat panel displays. Generally, LCDs include substrates having electric field generating electrodes, such as a pixel electrode and a common electrode, disposed thereon, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates. In LCDs, voltages are applied to the electric field generating electrodes to generate an electric field between the pixel electrode and the common electrode. Accordingly, an alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer is controlled, and a polarization of incident light is thereby controlled. As a result, a desired image is displayed on the LCD.
On a lower substrate of a display apparatus such as an LCD, each pixel is typically defined at an intersection of a gate line, which provides a scanning signal, and a corresponding data line, which provides an image signal. In addition, each pixel includes a thin-film transistor (“TFT”) connected to the gate line and the data line, and a pixel electrode connected to the TFT.
The TFT includes a semiconductor layer which forms a channel with a gate electrode (which is part of the gate line), a source electrode (which is part of the data line), a drain electrode and a gate-insulating film, for example. Thus, the TFT is a switching element which delivers or blocks, depending on a state of the TFT, the image signal received from the data line in response to the scanning signal received from the gate line.
As display apparatuses are manufactured to have increased resolution and larger screen sizes, attempts are being made to make parts, which are to be used in the display apparatuses, more compact and/or lighter. In addition, to achieve the increased resolution, required numbers of data lines and gate lines are increased. However, when the required number of data lines is increased, a required number of data drive integrated circuits (“ICs”) is also be increased to transmit the image signals to the increased number of data lines. As a result, the size of the display apparatus is substantially increased.
Accordingly, it is desired to develop a display apparatus having reduced size, but maintaining or improving resolution thereof.
Additionally, the increased number of gate lines causes a difference between kickback voltages, due to various parasitic capacitances, and increased flickering, thereby deteriorating image quality of the display apparatus. More specifically, for example, vertical flickering lines (hereinafter referred to as “vertical stains”) are displayed on a display apparatus due to a luminance difference between pixels. Accordingly, it is desired to develop a display apparatus having improved display quality, e.g., a display apparatus with reduced vertical stains.